Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 605 - 490: Strategy of Dragon Control_1

Chapter 605: Chapter 490: Strategy of Dragon Control_1

The Dragon Queen of the East Sea, Ao Zhujun, could hardly contain her excitement. She gave a subtle nod to the Prince, Ao Mengsheng, who tried to stifle his laughter. With a clap of his hands, he summoned the Tortoise Minister standing beside him and handed a iron whip to Li Xuan.

Ao Zhujun explained to Li Xuan, "This Dragon-beating Whip was forged by uniting the powers of my husband and the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas. In the future, you, as the Marquis of Guanjun, will execute laws with this whip. Should any dragons of the Two Rivers and Five Lakes dare to show disrespect in your presence, you are to punish them with this whip. Any who resist shall be deemed Sinful Dragons by us, the dragon clan."

"Even those sinful dragons, under the suppression of the Dragon-beating Whip, will only retain a third of their Dragon Yuan. This way, even the Heavenly Evildragons will not be able to oppose you, the Marquis of Guanjun."

"This—" Li Xuan hesitated, "Since a bad name breeds bad talk, wouldn’t it be better to wait until the Dragon King officially confers titles before I accept this gift?"

He thought to himself that they still hadn’t paid him! Where was the promised money? They hadn’t even given him the dowry, yet they expected him to start working?

The Dragon Queen Ao Zhujun was pleased after hearing his response, thinking that he was truly worthy of being the Hufa of Neo-Confucianism; a person who greatly valued rules and customs.

The Prince of the East Sea, Ao Mengsheng, however, reassured, "Fear not, Marquis of Guanjun. Because I frequently spend time on land, my father delegated the search for a candidate for the ’Zhiling of Dragon’ to me thirty-seven years ago. Until now, I hadn’t been able to find the right person. Hence, all we need to do this time is to complete one procedure.

Regarding your dowry, the Dragon Palace has already prepared it. The supreme magical implement is called ’Light-Thunder Wing’, which I believe suits the Marquis of Guanjun quite well."

With that, Li Xuan no longer hesitated. He put the iron whip into the Sumi Ring. At the same time, he thought to himself that this Crown Prince seemed to be quite accomplished. He should not underestimate him.

"Our dragon clan requires righteous people like the Marquis of Guanjun to correct our wrong tendencies," Ao Zhujun was pleased to her heart’s content. Then she went on to ask, "As a distinguished scholar in our time, embodying heaven and humanity, you showed substantial insight during the discussion on governance and military affairs. Do you have any suggestions for the current situation of our dragon clan?"

With a sigh, she divulged, "I won’t hide it from you, Marquis of Guanjun. A thousand years ago, when I was just born, our dragon clan had fifty or sixty true dragons. Despite the spiritual essence in the world not substantially weakening since then, and despite our dragon clan controlling the wealth of the Two Rivers and the Five Lakes, the number of our dragon clan’s forces in the East Sea diminishes day by day."

"My husband is always worried about this and has been unable to find a viable solution. Marquis of Guanjun, might you have any effective strategies to share?"

Upon hearing this, the Prince of the East Sea, Ao Mengsheng, shook his head. He was all for Li Xuan taking over the ’Zhiling of Dragon’ position.

He had thought that Li Xuan would likely find it troublesome and pass on the burdensome task to his little sister.

However, if Li Xuan claimed to have a workable strategy to improve their dragon clan’s current state, Ao Mengsheng would be sceptical.

Over the past few centuries, he had consulted many scholars, but none of them had been able to suggest an effective approach.

This chronic issue lay within the dragon clan’s inherent lazy and lustful nature, which became even more pronounced under prosperity and comfortable circumstances. Despite the East Sea Dragon King’s attempts to correct this trend through various commands and edicts, they proved ineffective.

Ao Mengsheng doubted that a young man like Li Xuan, at the age of twenty, would be able to reverse this trend that had persisted for tens of thousands of years.

But, Li Xuan did have some ideas. He pondered for a moment before solemnly saying, "I do have a proposal that may be feasible. I will boldy suggest it here. If there is anything inappropriate, I hope you both will forgive me."

Ao Zhujun nodded slightly, "Please, Marquis of Guanjun."

Li Xuan smiled and said, "I believe that guidance is better than enforcement. Relying solely on the supervision and punishment of the few at the top won’t suppress the desires of the many dragons."

Upon hearing this, Ao Gun and Ao Zhihui, who were sitting close by, revealed their delight. They thought highly of their brother-in-law for being such a good man and respected him immensely.

Ao Shuying, however, knitted her brows. The Prince of the East Sea, Ao Mengsheng, looked intrigued, "According to Marquis of Guanjun, should we abolish all the rules that prohibit our dragon clan from indulging in lust and extravagance?"

"I’ve heard that the East Sea Dragon King is vigorously enforcing these laws, but his efforts often clash with the intentions of many elders in the dragon clan, leading to frequent conflicts. Is that correct?"

Li Xuan replied with a grin, "My suggestion is to adopt a gentler approach — levy taxes!"

"Taxes?" Ao Mengsheng sought clarity, "I’d like to hear more."

He shook his head, doubtful. He thought to himself that this Marquis of Guanjun was really getting carried away with his whimsical ideas.

"Take the Lord of Yangzhou Dragon Palace for example..." Li Xuan gestured towards Ao Gun, "Asking him to control his desires is quite unreasonable. It might be easier to take some silver coins off him instead.

For example, if Ao Gun takes a concubine, tax him ten thousand teal; if he consorts with a member of a different clan, tax him ten thousand teal; if he produces a mixed-blood dragon, tax him fifty thousand teal; If he sleeps for a year, tax him ten thousand teal; and if he hosts a banquet for a day, tax him a thousand teal."

This proposition caused Ao Mengsheng to look at Li Xuan more seriously. He was astonished to realize that taxes could be levied in this way. It was unheard of.

If it could bring in more revenue, it would be quite beneficial. Despite their dragon clan’s wealth, they had to resist the demons of the Yellow River and the upper Yangtze River on the west, and suppress the deep-sea monsters on the east, so the Dragon Palace had been maintaining a large navy.

He fell into deep thought: "But it was my father’s original intention to rectify the ethic of our dragon clan and save our clan from decline."

"That seems strange to me." Li Xuan replied nonchalantly, "Wealth is a resource. Your dragon clan can use this money to cultivate and encourage those dragons who really desire progress.

As far as I know, there are many ambitious dragons in your clan that are lacking resources and facing difficulties in their cultivation. You can also use this money to subsidize and nurture those dragon offspring, helping them to develop their blood lineage. Since your dragon clan gave birth to them, you ought to take responsibility, shouldn’t you?"

’I am unable to understand why you, the dragon clan, insist on pouring efforts into those who, like Ao Gun, are unwilling to transform into True Dragons. What is your ultimate motive?"

Ao Shuying and Ao Mengsheng were excited at this newfound revelation.

They believed this strategy might work. More importantly, it could potentially persuade the obstinate elder dragons.

After all, dragons, too, appreciated wealth.

Dragon Queen Ao ZhuJun of the East Sea narrowed her eyes, "But how is this fair to the dragons of remote rivers and Dark Rivers?"

Within their dragon clan, not everyone was as wealthy as Ao Gun and Ao Zhihui. Particularly the dragons of Dark Rivers; beyond the mineral resources and rare treasures found in the Dark Rivers, they had little to their name,

"Thus, we have to implement a graded taxation system," Li Xuan confidently explained. "For example, the Dragon Palace could ignore the first two concubines, but beyond the second, a progressive tax could be collected. Ten thousand for the third, twenty thousand for the fourth, and forty thousand for the fifth. Likewise, sleeping, giving birth to mixed-blood dragons, or dalliances with non-dragons - all these could be taxed similarly.

In this way, any dragon desiring more concubines, willing to frolic with more non-dragons, or intending to procreate more mixed-blood dragons would have to govern their territories more effectively and increase their wealth. But, if they lack mana or continue being lazy, how can they govern the rivers properly?

As for the dragons of Dark Rivers, if they’re willing to make progress and work hard, they can naturally receive subsidies from the Dragon Palace, Isn’t this fair?"

He spoke with a smile on his face. However, most of the dragons present were visibly uncomfortable and shivering, their faces pale.

Seeing his mother and siblings being swayed by Li Xuan’s words, Ao Gun couldn’t help but think to himself, Fuck, does this mean we will even have to pay to sleep and drink in the future?

Ao Zhihui’s face turned pale as realization washed over him. This scenario was far worse than he had anticipated!

Meanwhile, a few dragons seemed to be deep in thought, seemingly moved and considering Li Xuan’s proposal.

Dragon Queen Ao ZhuJun was indeed quite influenced. She blushed, "But the issue is, who will supervise the implementation?"

However, as soon as she voiced this out, she realized how silly her question was. With wealth comes accountability; lack of supervisors would never be an issue.

In the past, there were no volunteers from the dragon clan for this role as it was both laborious and unsavoury, with no apparent benefits. Even those dragons who took up the role maintained a lousy camaraderie with the delinquent dragons below and none were willing to enforce the law conscientiously.

Her husband proposed an annual salary of fifty thousand gold coins as he had no other choice and needed to squeeze out the funds. However, for the next forty years, they were unable to find a suitable ’Zhiling’ candidate.

If this tax law could be established, she predicted that their Dragon Palace would be able to increase its annual gold income by at least ten million bars. They would be able to afford dozens of Zhilings.

"Marquis of Guanjun, your intellect and foresight are truly commendable. Your strategy is very thought-provoking and demands serious consideration," Ao ZhuJun raised her glass, "I raise this toast to you!"

Prince of the East Sea, Ao Mengsheng also contemplated for a moment before raising his glass, "Marquis of Guanjun, not only is your perspective fresh, but it also addresses the flaws within our dragon clan. When I return, I will discuss this matter with my father. If this strategy proves successful, our dragon clan will reward you generously."

Although Ao Shuying didn’t speak, her gaze towards Li Xuan revealed her gratitude.

Li Xuan, though on edge due to the intense scrutiny of the dragons present, held his fort. He smiled and replied, "They were merely some basic ideas; thank you for your compliment."

During the rest of the feast, not only was Ao ZhuJun treating him as if he were family, but even the Prince of the East Sea, Ao Mengsheng was warming up to him. He even commanded his servants to fuse their tables to facilitate conversation. It felt as though he and Li Xuan had known each other for a long time; they shared excellent rapport.

As dragons have a long lifespan, their feasts naturally last for days and nights. However, unfortunately, Li Xuan had to work the next morning. So, after a couple of hours, he had to leave. As before, Ao Shuying drove the Red Thunder Chariot to drop him back in the Capital City.

At this moment, the tortoise minister also handed Li Xuan the betrothal gifts for the ’Zhiling’ of the dragon clan.

Li Xuan was initially worried that the ’Light-Thunder Wing’ would conflict with his ’Shenyi’ and prove unusable. However, upon receiving the gift, he discovered that they were actually a pair of boots that simply had two wings attached at the back.

He was delighted with his gift.

Including the Xuanwu Heart-protecting Mirror, Dayan Divine Shield, Yangyan Divine Glove, and others he already possessed, it seemed like his whole ’Righteousness Suit’ might be entirely replaced soon.

After they left, Ao ZhuJun started a serious conversation with Ao Mengsheng, "Prince, do you think the marriage between Li Xuan and Shuying can occur?"

Prince Ao Mengsheng chuckled, "Oh? So the Queen Mother fancies this son-in-law? Weren’t you strongly opposing this before?"

Ao ZhuJun huffed, her eyes glinting with purpose, "I’m not joking with you. This Marquis of Guanjun is both wise and valiant; he truly has great potential. Prince, we must ensure that we put him to good use."

"Indeed, we must keep him close," The prince nodded, then furrowed his brows, "This matter might be a bit complicated. Looking at the Marquis’s demeanor, it seems he’s not indifferent towards Shuying, but he’s nowhere near the stage of marriage yet.

Moreover, he has several intimate female friends in the mortal realm, all of whom have great backgrounds—one of them is even the Princess of the Jin Dynasty. In terms of affection, it’s far from Shuying’s turn. Besides, there’s also the problem of Shuying’s own feelings, you also know about her personality."

"Shuying? You’re worrying about her. She doesn’t get a say in this."

Ao ZhuJun took a drink of her wine, her eyes glinting with resolve, "Didn’t Ao Gun and his ilk spread rumors claiming that Li Xuan is Shuying’s husband? Prince, you might as well stoke the flames and consolidate this narrative. When the timing is right, I’ll request the Emperor to officiate their marriage!"